Sometimes
you find a subject that intrigues you when you begin a study, then find out
upon closer examination the subject was not exactly what you thought. Every purchased or checked out a book from
the library by mistake but enjoyed it anyway?
That may be frustrating or just another rewarding study to pursue you was
not previously aware of. Such is the
case with my study of the life of George F. Root. I began my study of this musician thinking it
was the Root associated with Standard Publishing; however, that person’s name
was Orrin Root. Orrin Root (1905-2003)
served as the Editor-in-Chief of Standard Publishing Sunday school material
including the beginning of Standard
Lesson Commentary. A bit of wisdom
from Orrin Root—“Write and edit not only to be understood, but also not to be
misunderstood.” The Root who wrote some of the hymns we sing was George Frederick
Root.
George Frederick Root (1820-1895), Lyricist & Composer
George F. Root was born
in Sheffield, MA on August 30, 1820, and he was named after the famous composer
George Frederick Handel. His family
relocated to North Reading, just outside of Boston, when he was six years old. He
was an accomplished flute player, and he claimed to have known 13 instruments
by the time he was 13 years of age. He
sat out to fulfill his dream of playing the flute for an orchestra, but life
had other plans. He would learn to play
organ and sing under the training of George J. Webb. In 1845 he relocated to New York and taught
music at the New York Institute of the Blind where he met Fanny J. Crosby. He also taught at the Abbott Institute for
Young Ladies too. During this time he
also played organ at the Church of Strangers.
Root and Crosby collaborated to write over 50 popular songs which were
not religious in nature. After taking a
tour of Europe in 1850, he returned to Boston where he was associated with Lowell
Mason at the Boston Academy of Music.
He would eventually return to New York in 1853 he would collaborate with
Francis J. Crosby and others to produce more music. He was known to use a pseudonym of George
Wurzel (wurzel is German for root.) for his writing too. In 1859 he relocated his family to Chicago to
work with his brother who was in the music publishing business. Root would edit and publish several hymnbooks. He composed several wartime songs which were
popular during the period. He is
credited with creating the 1864 anthem of the Civil War called “The Battle Cry
of Freedom.” After the Civil War, he was
elected to the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of United States. He also worked to establish what would become
the New York Normal Institute of Conductors which trained musical
instructors. He was also awarded an
honorary Doctor of Music degree from the University of Chicago of 1872.
He also published some 75
books and nearly 200 pieces of music. While
Root was more known more for secular music of the period (which would include
the Civil War), he did write some gospel music too. Hymnary.org lists some 120 hymns he had
published. Some of the songs that we
might be familiar with would include When
Storms Around Are Sweeping which appeared in his book New Choir and Congregation of 1879.
The tune for his march “Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, the Boys Are Marching” was
coupled with Clarence H. Woolston’s words after Root’s death in 1913 to become
“Jesus Loves The Little Children”. He
also wrote the music for William O. Cushing’s 1886 song “When He Cometh”. According to Hymnary.org, “Why Do You Wait?”
is his most popular hymn that he wrote and composed, and the name for the tune
of this song is SHEFFIELD.
George F. Root married
Mary Olive Woodman, and they had 2 sons (Frederick, Charles) and 4 daughters
(Clara, Louise, Arabella, May, Nellie). He
died in his summer home on August 6, 1895 in Bailey Island, Maine at the age of
74. He was buried in Harmony Vale
Cemetery, North Reading, MA. His wife
would be buried her too in 1904 along with several of the Root family. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of
Fame in 1970.
Why Do You Wait?
The song was written in
1878. Interestingly, Sacred Selections, a songbook I have admired
and used for years, changed the wording of the song from “Why Do You Wait Dear
Brother?” to “Why Do You Wait Dear Sinner?”
Apparently there was concern about using an invitation song calling
someone to be baptized by the name of “brother” would an issue for some. Of course the invitation is open to those who
need to be immersed and erring ones which need to come home.
While that is
understandable, it overlooks the fact that the Bible teaches us that we are
brothers/sisters in the flesh too. The
apostle Paul called those who were not Christians “brethren”—“For I could
wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen
according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the
glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the
promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ
came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.” (Romans 9:3-5, NKJV.)
Paul could not sacrifice
his soul for his brethren, and we cannot do so either. Thanks be to God that Jesus Christ made that
sacrifice for all! No matter how much we
want someone to obey the gospel, it is their decision. Still, the question remains for them to
ponder “What do you hope, dear brother, to gain by a further delay?” Why not now?
--------------------------------------------
SOURCES:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Frederick_Root
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F05E6D7103DE433A2575BC0A96E9C94649ED7CF
ttp://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/r/o/o/root_gf.htm
http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/index.php/exhibits/bio/C189
http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/r/o/o/root_gf.htm
John P. Wiegand, Editor, Praise for the Lord, Nashville, TN: Praise Press, 1997.
V. E. Howard, Editor, and
Broadus E. Smith, Associate Editor, Church
Gospel Songs & Hymns, Texarkana, TX: Central Printers & Publishers, 1983.
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